Earth-working machines, such as, for example, excavators, wheel loaders, hydraulic mining shovels, cable shovels, bucket wheels, bulldozers, and draglines, are generally used for digging or ripping into the earth or rock and/or moving loosened work material from one place to another at a worksite. These earth-working machines include various earth-working implements, such as a bucket or a blade, for excavating or moving the work material. These implements can be subjected to extreme wear from the abrasion and impacts experienced during the earth-working applications.
To protect these implements against wear, and thereby prolong the useful life of the implements, various ground engaging tools, such as teeth, edge protectors, and other wear members, can be provided to the earth-working implements in the areas where the most damaging abrasions and impacts occur. These ground engaging tools are removably attached to the implements using retention systems, so that worn or damaged ground engaging tools can be readily removed and replaced with new ground engaging tools.
One such retention system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,696 that issued to Cornelius on Aug. 2, 1994 (“the '696 patent”). The '696 patent discloses a protector for a work tool that includes a pair of openings that align with a transverse hole in the work tool. A pin is inserted through the aligned holes to retain the protector in place on the work tool.
The retention system of the '696 patent may have some drawbacks. For example, the retention system requires a hole in the work tool, which may negatively affect the strength of the work tool. In addition, this type of retention system may limit a wear member to being installed at only one position on the work tool (i.e., the position where the openings in the wear member align with the hole in the work tool). The transverse pin does not allow relative movement (e.g., pull-back movement onto the work tool) during installation, since the holes must be aligned before the pin can be inserted. Relative movement, such as, pull-back movement during installation, may allow a wear member to adapt to various sizes and shapes of work tools, such as those caused by wear over time, manufacturing tolerances, etc.
Further, while some current wear member retention systems may allow for pull-back movement during installation, they may also be less than optimal. In one example, a threaded retention bolt may be threadably inserted through a portion of a wear member and through a member attached to a work tool. The retention bolt may be aligned parallel to a side surface of the work tool and perpendicular to a protected edge of the work tool, such that tightening of the retention bolt may cause the wear member to pull back onto the protected edge. While this type of retention system may allow relative movement during installation, it may also be susceptible to a few problems. In particular, alignment of the retention bolt to be perpendicular to the protected edge may more easily allow the retention bolt to work loose during operation. Force applied against the protected edge tends to release tension on the retention bolt, allowing the retention bolt to work loose. Therefore, this type of retention system may not be ideal for holding a wear member tightly in place over the useful lifetime of the wear member. In addition, retention bolts in general are often uncovered on an exterior of a wear member, and are thus exposed to damage during use.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.